Rings of Promise
by xXScarletHanazonoXx
Summary: Before Natsu left, he gave Lucy a ring with the promise that he would be back. Now that he's returned 12 years later, how will Lucy feel by meeting him again?
1. Chapter One

**Rings of Promise**

 **Chapter One**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail**

 _"Natsu, wait up!"_

 _"Luce..."_

 _"Where are you going?"_

 _"...someplace far away."_

 _"When are you coming back?"_

 _"I don't know."_

 _"You don't know?"_

 _"Luce, don't cry."_

 _"But I won't get to see you anymore."_

 _"Here, I'll give you this."_

 _"What is it?"_

 _"It's a ring, the same one I have."_

 _"You're giving it to me?"_

 _"Yeah, so smile and remember me every time you look at it."_

 _"Natsu..."_

 _"I promise I'll be back, so please smile for me before I go."_

 _"Promise?"_

 _"Promise."_

I woke up with a start as my alarm clock rang beside me. Clumsily reaching out, I pressed the snooze button before slowly getting up. Sunlight was peeking in through the windows and covered my room in a golden warmth as I swung my feet onto the floor. Standing up, I pulled down my shirt before stumbling to the closet. Grabbing a new set of clothes, I went to the bathroom to wash up.

While showering and brushing my teeth, I couldn't help but feel a constant nagging. It was like I had forgotten something, my dream perhaps? Speaking of which, I could only remember fragments of it. I did remember seeing a small boy and and an indistinguishable man. After that, everything became a blur until I woke up.

"Lucy, are you in there?" a voice called through the door.

"Yeah, just give me a minute," I said.

After combing through my hair and tying a portion of it up into a side pony tail, I grabbed my things and opened the bathroom door to reveal my roommate. Levy was yawning and rubbing her eyes as she stood there, leaning against the door frame a little. She smiled and offered a tired greeting when she saw me. I stepped aside to let her through before going back into my room. Throwing my night clothes into the laundry basket, I grabbed my bag before heading downstairs.

While Levy got ready, I spent the next few minutes cooking breakfast for us. It was a simple dish of toast and eggs along with a glass of juice. As I was setting the table, I heard soft footsteps coming from the living room. Levy came in and took a seat at the table, dropping her school bag on the floor.

"Good morning, Lu-chan," she said.

"Morning," I said.

"What's for breakfast today?" she asked.

"Food," I answered and gave her a plate.

We talked as we ate, filling the silence with light conversation. I listened as Levy talked about her club activities and classes, nodding as she went. As for me, there wasn't much to talk about, I wasn't very involved with school activities.

"Lu-chan, your necklace!" Levy exclaimed.

I looked down to see a part of my necklace floating in the glass of juice. Quickly fishing it out, I wrapped a napkin around the damaged section in hopes to dry it out. I worriedly dabbed every spot I could and sighed in discontent.

"Speaking of which, why do you always wear that particular necklace Lu-chan?" Levy asked.

"It was given to me a long time ago by a friend," I said.

"What were they like?" she asked.

"...I don't remember, it was so long ago," I said.

"Yet you've kept the necklace they gave you?" she asked.

"It's not a necklace, it's a ring," I said.

I held up the silver chain for Levy to see. A black and silver ring hung at the end, reflecting the morning light. As she excitedly studied it, I noticed that the chain was getting quite old and damaged. Considering that I've had it since I was little, it would only make sense. I'll have to get a new one.

"We better leave soon if we don't want to be late," I said.

"Let me finish this first," Levy said as she quickly stuffed the last piece of toast in her mouth.

Getting up, I brought our plates, cups, and utensils to the sink while Levy cleaned the table. We rushed to grab our bags and put on your shoes before leaving the house. As I waited for Levy to lock the door, I saw people leaving their houses as well. We lived in a secluded neighborhood right next to the school. Instead of living with our families, we were allowed to live with a roommate for a reduced fee. I chose to live away from home since my family was located in the next town. Levy was a close friend of mine so we decided rent a house together. There wasn't a lot of people that chose to live in the neighborhood but we did become friends with the few people who did.

"Morning Erza," I greeted as she passed by.

"Morning Lucy, Levy," she said.

Levy tucked the house key into her bag before we went to join Erza. During our short walk, we made light conversation about what was happening at school and the like.

"I heard there's a new transfer student coming in today," Erza said.

"Really? Who is it?" Levy asked.

"I don't know the details but I heard he's from Crocus," Erza said.

"He's from the capital?" Levy remarked.

I stayed quiet during their conversation, keeping to myself and staring at the scenery. Ever since this morning, there has been an empty feeling in my mind, it was as if I was forgetting something important. No matter how hard I tried to find out what it was, all I could see was darkness. It was frustrating to say the least.

"Lu-chan?" Levy said.

"Sorry, what?" I said.

"Erza was asking if you wanted to stop by a cafe after school," she said.

"Oh, sure," I said.

"Lu-chan, are you okay?" Levy asked worriedly.

"I'm fine, just thinking," I said.

"Tell me if anything is happens okay?" she said.

"Okay," I smiled.

When we reached the school, we said goodbye to Erza as she headed to her class while we went to ours. Once we entered the classroom, we immediately heard talk about the new student. Closing the door behind us, Levy and I walked to the back of the room where our seats and friends were. I sat next to the window while Levy sat in front of me. To the right of her was Juvia. Since we didn't have that many students in the class, the seat next to mine was empty. It wasn't all that bad since people would occasionally come by and occupy it during breaks.

"Good morning Lucy," Juvia greeted.

"Morning Juvia," I said.

"What's up Lucy?" Gray said as he came by.

"Hey Gray," I smiled.

"Love rival!" Juvia exclaimed.

"Juvia, that's not it," I sighed.

We were interrupted by the sound of the bell. Everyone returned to their seat as the teacher came in. Ms. Evergreen walked to the front of the room, a stack of papers in her hand.

"Stand."

"Bow."

"Sit."

"As you may have heard, a new student is going to be joining us today," she said.

She turned to the door and motioned for him to come in. A guy with pink hair and tanned skin walked in, a smile on his face. As he introduced himself, I felt a nagging at my thoughts.

"The name is Natsu Dragneel, nice to meet ya," he said.

"Natsu, is it true that you're from the capital?" someone asked.

"No, I stayed there but was born somewhere else," he answered.

"Save your questions for later, class has started," Ms. Evergreen interrupted.

"Yes ma'am."

"Natsu, there's an open seat in the back of the room, it's right next to Lucy's," she pointed at me.

"Lucy?" Natsu said.

"Yes, now go sit down," Ms. Evergreen instructed.

While Natsu made his way to the back, the constant nagging I felt became increasingly irritating. I tried my best to ignore as Natsu sat down in the seat next to mine. Ms. Evergreen was up front, passing out papers and talking about an upcoming test.

"You're Lucy right?" Natsu asked.

""Yeah," I said.

"You have the same name as a friend of mine," he grinned.

"Is that so?" I said.

"You look kind of like her her too," Natsu remarked.

"Mr. Dragneel, talking already?" Ms. Evergreen said.

"Sorry," Natsu said sheepishly.

I giggled a bit as Natsu gave a sigh. He then looked over at me and gave a grin, making my heart beat a little faster. However, he quickly turned his attention to the front when Ms. Evergreen resumed talking.

"Take out your textbooks and turned to the next lesson," she instructed as she wrote the page number on the board.

"I don't have a book," Natsu raised his hand and said.

"Share with Lucy until you get your own," she said.

I looked up in surprise at her statement. It wasn't that I was uncomfortable with sharing my book, it was just filled with a bunch of my loose drawings. There wasn't any time to find and destroy them all before Natsu scooted his desk over. He was looking at me expectantly as I nervously gazed at my closed book.

"Do you not want to share?" he asked with a frown.

"No, it's not that," I said.

I grabbed the cover of the book and slowly turned it. So far, there were just pages and pages of Japanese text. That was, until I got to the most recently accessed pages. There, drawn on a little scrap of paper was a picture of a kitten. I blushed as I heard Natsu laugh a little.

"It's cute," he said.

"Lucy and Natsu, are you listening?" Ms. Evergreen asked.

"Yes," we answered in unison.

I quickly turned to the right page and began quickly taking notes of the passages. Because we had to work from the same book, Natsu and I had to be close to one another, too close. I could feel his soft breath every time he had to lean over to look at a page on my side. The close proximity was nerve wracking.

xxx

"That's all for today, class dismissed," Ms. Evergreen said.

I breathed out a sigh of relief as I leaned back on my chair. Natsu cheered a little as he slammed his notes shut. While we were given a short study period, a few people began gathering around Natsu.

"You guys looked really comfortable together during class," she teased.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"I'm just saying, you two looked good together," she said.

"We just met!" I whisper yelled.

Levy giggled at my flustered expression and turned to stare at Natsu. I did the same and saw that he was talking with Gray and Gajeel. I looked over at Levy again and saw a faded pink staining her cheeks. A smirk came over my face as I reached over to lightly pinch her it.

"Looks like you have your eyes on someone," I said.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she huffed.

"Sure you don't," I laughed.

Class was soon over and students were free to leave. Natsu had already made lots of friends, a lot faster than anyone I've met. A lot of girls were also talking about him, not that it mattered. As I was leaving for my next class, I collided with someone at the door. Stepping back and bumping into Levy, I looked up to see none other than Dan Straight. Dread filled me as I knew what was about to happen.

"Hey, Lucy!" he exclaimed.

"H-hey Dan," I smiled weakly.

"Are you heading to your next class?" he asked.

"Yeah..." I answered.

"Let me escort you," he offered.

"That's fine Dan, I can go by myself," I said.

"It's no problem for me, come on," he said and grabbed my hand.

"Dan, really-"

"Lucy said she'll be fine by herself."

I was pulled back into a hard chest as Natsu's tanned arms appeared in front of me. He brushed Dan away and placed a hand on my shoulder. I turned and gave him a look of disbelief and was met with his smile. I could see Levy smirking out of the corner of my eyes and shot her a dirty look.

"Who are you?" Dan demanded.

"Natsu Dragneel, more importantly, leave Lucy alone," Natsu said.

"What gives you the right to say that?!" Dan asked angrily.

"It's because she's mine," he said.

"Eh?!"


	2. Chapter Two

**Rings of Promise**

 **Chapter Two**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail**

The class stared in shock at what Natsu had said. Levy was quietly laughing as I stood there, a dark blush rising on my face. There was a deafening silence in the room, even Ms. Evergreen didn't utter a word. Dan's face was frozen in shock with high mouth slightly agape. If I wasn't so surprised myself, I would've probably laughed at this situation. After what seemed like forever, he spoke.

"Y-yours?" Dan stuttered.

"Yeah, she's my friend," Natsu said.

"Huh?"

The classroom exploded in confusion at Natsu's words. My cheeks were still red from embarrassment but they were quickly replaced with irritation. It didn't help much that Levy was snickering in the background at the scene that was unfolding. Turning around, I punched Natsu in the face out of pure frustrated anger.

"Ow! what was that for?!" he complained.

"Stop being so misleading!" I exclaimed.

"Lucy is just your friend then?" Dan asked.

"Yeah Dan, he's just my friend," I turned around and answered with a sigh.

"Sorry to interrupt but if we don't hurry, we're going to be late," Levy said.

"Oh right, see you later Dan," I said as we took off.

There were only seconds to spare when we arrived to class. Our classmates that were caught up in the situation before arrived a second later, all of them short of breath. The bell chimed just as we made it into our seats. I cursed under my breath as I ran a hand through my slightly disheveled hair. The seating was pretty similar to last period's except that Gajeel was seated next to Levy instead of Juvia. I leaned forward in my seat and poked her in the back.

"Look Levy, it's your beloved~" I teased.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said defensively as I laughed.

For the next class and every class afterwards, I had to share my textbooks and notes with Natsu. The only exceptions were the class I didn't have with him after lunch and in math where he was seated behind me and had to share a book with Lisanna. I was still unreasonably irritated at him even though he did get me out of a bind. I still had to thank and apologize to him.

 **xxx**

"Do you want to head to the gardens for lunch?" Levy asked.

"Sure, let me buy something first," I said.

"Okay, I'll be waiting by the fountain," she said before leaving the classroom.

After grabbing some change from my bag, I headed down to the cafeteria to buy a drink. Going in, I could instantly smell the sizzling beef cooking in the kitchen along with hearing the loud chatter of the students waiting in line. Sneaking past them, I made my way to the vending machine. Luckily, there wasn't a line yet so I managed to get my drink quickly. As I was grabbing the drink, I felt a pair of hands place themselves over my eyes, engulfing my vision in darkness.

"Guess who?" a voice whispered.

"Who?" I said.

"You have to guess," the voice said.

"Loke, I know it's you," I sighed.

"Correct~" he said before removing his hands.

I turned around to see Loke, the school's biggest playboy. I've only met him recently, a few weeks ago, and he's been trying to make a move on me ever since. Even though he does seem like an airhead at times, Loke's a pretty decent guy once you get to know him. He never went too far with his jokes and was always considerate of others.

"Hey Lucy, I seem to have lost my phone number," Loke started.

"Oh no, not again," I sighed.

"Can I have yours?" he smiled.

"Nice try Loke," I grinned and pinched his cheeks.

"Why must you reject me?" he asked.

"Because I'm not interested," I answered.

"You're so mean Lucy," he said.

I made the mistake of looking into his puppy dog eyes. My heart melted a little at how cute it was and eventually had to give in.

"Fine, I'll give you my number if you stop laying those pick-up lines on me," I said.

"Deal."

Taking out my phone, I asked for his number before sending him a message. Loke seemed happy enough as he added my number into his contacts. While he was doing so, I took the opportunity to grab the drink, Levy was not going to be happy with me.

"Anyway, I have to go, Levy is waiting for me," I said.

"Do you want me to join you?" he asked.

"Sorry, girls only," I said.

I quickly said my goodbyes to Loke before heading outside. I spotted Levy sitting by the fountain, her back turned to me and face buried in a book. I slowed down my steps as I approached her.

"Hey Levy, sorry for the wait," I said.

"Took you long enough," she sighed.

"I got caught up with something," I said.

"Did Loke try to make a move on you again?" she asked.

"Yeah," I answered.

"How did that go?" she asked.

"I gave him my number," I said.

"Really?" she laughed.

"Whatever, let's just go eat," I huffed.

"Want to eat by the cherry blossom trees today?" Levy asked.

"Yeah."

Levy stood up and tucked away her book before we went across the garden. Even though the cheery blossoms were no longer in bloom, the trees did provide great shade. We took a seat on the grass and took out our lunches. Mine consisted of rice, rolled eggs, and octopus wieners while Levy had an array of seafood in her's. As we ate, I looked over at the field and saw a few guys playing soccer. They were just close enough for me to distinguish them.

"Hey Levy, the guys are playing soccer," I said.

"Who's playing?" she asked.

"Your beloved," I said.

"Gajeel is not my beloved!" Levy exclaimed.

"I didn't say it was Gajeel," I grinned devilishly.

Levy froze as a warm blush came over her face. She gave me a dirty look as I continued to smirk triumphantly at her. Without saying another word, she turned back to eat her lunch, looking at nothing but the ground.

"Levy, why don't you just tell him?" I asked.

"It's not that easy Lucy," Levy mumbled.

"It's going to be too late if you just keep waiting around," I said.

Levy didn't say anything and continued to eat so I decided to drop the subject for now.

 **xxx**

It was later in the day that we had gym. It was horrible, we were in the middle of football season and the guys were unbelievably excited. The girls didn't find much value in it and decided to stay on the sidelines. I stood somewhere near the end of the field and was observing the game with Levy. Natsu and Gray were going at it, shoving each other back and forth even though neither of them had the ball.

"Don't they seem a little...competitive?" I said.

"Yeah, for someone who's so friendly, Natsu's really up in Gray's face," Levy agreed.

"At least it doesn't look like it'll get out of hand," I said.

"I don't know, Gray is pretty stubborn, I doubt he'll back down from a fight," Levy said.

"At least he knows that Erza will rain fury down on him if he causes a scene," I said.

"Speaking of which, shouldn't we introduce Natsu to Erza, just in case?" Levy grinned.

"Let's do it."

 **xxx**

"Natsu, there's someone I want you to meet," I said as the final bell rang.

"Who is it?" he asked.

"Erza, she's the student council president," I said.

"What for?" he asked.

"She's a friend you'll love to have," I smiled innocently.

"Alright," he said.

I gave a sideways glance at Levy and shared a mischievous smile with her. I waited for Natsu to pack his bags before pulling him out of the classroom. Before we left, Gray gave us a weird look but we motioned for him to ignore our activities. After leading Natsu up a flight of stairs, we arrived in front of the student council room. I knocked a few times before opening the door. Peeking in, I saw people walking all over the place, each of them doing their own thing or talking to one another.

"Hey Lucy," Mirajane greeted me.

"Hey Mira," I smiled at the vice president.

I fully pushed open the door to reveal Natsu and Levy. Mira exchanged polite greetings with Natsu and hugged Levy before inviting us inside. We took a seat on one of the couches stationed in the corner of the room while Mira went to get snacks.

"It's good to see you Lucy, Levy," Laki said as she came by.

"Hey Laki, long time no see!" I smiled.

"It's good to see you again," Levy said.

"It seems you've brought another friend," she said and looked at Natsu.

"Yeah, we're going to introduce him to Erza," I said.

"You guys really enjoy tormenting people don't you?" Laki said.

"You got it," I laughed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Natsu asked.

"Nothing," I quickly said.

Laki had to attend to some urgent business and left. Mira had come back with a plate of cookies and three cups of tea. She said it would be a few more minutes before Erza was available before leaving to take care of her own things. While Levy and I slowly sipped our tea, Natsu began inhaling the cookies. I smiled a little at his actions. However, it had not gone unnoticed. I felt Levy nudging me and looked over to see a suggestive smirk on her face. I rolled my eyes and gave a smile before lightly elbowing her back.

"These are some really good cookies," Natsu remarked.

"It's from Mira's family's pastry shop," I said.

"Where is it?" he asked.

"It's on strawberry street by the cafe," I said.

"I'll visit it sometime," Natsu said.

"You can come with us today if you want, we're visiting the cafe next door," Levy interjected.

"You don't mind?" Natsu asked.

"No, Erza will probably stop by to get strawberry cake anyway," Levy said.

"If it's fine with you guys then I'll come," Natsu said.

"What do you think Lu-chan?" Levy asked as she turned to me with an innocent grin.

"...it's fine," I said as I shot her a dirty look.

"Lucy, Levy?" a voice called from the far side of the room.

"Hey Erza," I said.

Erza came over to us after putting her glasses away. As she sat down, Mira came by again and handed her a cup of tea and a few more extra cookies. She smiled and properly greeted Levy and I but stopped short when she saw Natsu.

"Who might this be?" she asked.

"This is Natsu, he's the new transfer student," I said.

"Oh, so you're the one that everyone is talking about," Erza said.

"Natsu Dragneel, nice to meet ya," he introduced himself and grinned.

"Erza Scarlet, likewise," she smiled.

"So Erza, we were wondering if Natsu could come with us to the cafe," Levy said.

"Is there a reason why?" she asked.

"He wanted more of Mira's cookies," Levy answered.

"Then I don't see a reason why not."


	3. Chapter Three

**Rings of Promise**

 **Chapter Three**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail**

"So Natsu, how long have you been here?" Levy asked.

"I got here just last week," he answered.

"So Magnolia must be pretty new to you."

"Not particularly, I did live here for a while so I know my way around."

"Why did you move to the capital?"

"My dad had a job transfer."

"So what made you come back?"

"There's someone I want to find."

"Who are you-"

"Levy, you're asking too much," I said.

"But aren't you curious too Lu-chan?" she asked.

"Sure, but that doesn't mean you can bombard him with questions," I said.

We were currently on our way to the cafe. I was walking with Erza while Natsu and Levy were behind us. Ever since we left school grounds, she had been asking him questions non-stop. Natsu was kind enough to go along with her antics but who knows how long that would last. If Levy was going to talk, at least she should make it a conversation, not an interrogation.

We continued to walk for a few more minutes until Erza spotted the cafe which she promptly hurried to. Upon entering, she was casually greeted by the hostess and immediately shown to a booth by the windows. I wonder how often Erza had been here. Because there was only room for two people on each side, Levy immediately claimed the seat next to Erza and I was left to sit with Natsu. As the waitress came by, we ordered milk tea, omelets, and croquettes. Now that she was no longer distracted by the thought of food, Erza began talking.

"So Natsu, do you like the school so far?" she asked.

"Yeah, everything is pretty nice," he said.

"Have you found anything that you like in terms of extracurricular activities?"

"Not really, I'm just getting used to how everything works."

"Then have you found any girls that you like?"

"Erza!" I exclaimed while Levy quietly laughed.

"Hm, not really," he said.

I sighed in relief when the waitress came back with our food, distracting Erza from any further questioning. Natsu immediately began shoving food in his mouth while Erza started cutting up her omelet. Levy and I were drinking milk tea as we ate the croquettes.

"This stuff is delicious!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Natsu, your manners," Erza said.

"But it doesn't really matter right?" he said.

"It's impolite, now eat properly," she commanded.

Natsu flinched a little at her harsh tone and slowed down his food intake. Erza quietly resumed eating while Levy and I shared a look. Putting down my cup, I leaned over to him a little and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Erza is pretty strict with everyone, even herself," I whispered.

"No kidding."

I giggled a bit as he cracked a smile. Levy kicked my feet under the table and gave me a look of which I promptly kicked her back for. I took my hand off of Natsu and returned to my original position. Picking up a croquette, I indulged in a game of footsie with Levy while we ate.

 **xxx**

"Ahh, that was a good meal," Natsu sighed contently.

"I know right?" Levy said.

We were just exiting the cafe and heading to the Strauss Pastry Shop. Upon opening the door, we heard a soft chime as the smell of baked goods wafted by. Natsu began drooling a little as he came inside. The shop was small but charming. The walls were painted in a soft, satin pink while the colors white and cream served as accents. White, silk curtains were draped across the front window and the round tables were covered in a cream, checker patterned table cloth. An array of baked goods laid in a glass case decorated with white trimmings near the back where the coffee maker was.

"Hi, how may I help you?" a voice said.

"Hey Lisanna!" Levy exclaimed.

"It's good to see you guys," she smiled.

"Same to you," Erza said.

"Hey," I smiled.

"How's it going Lisanna?" Natsu grinned.

"It's been great," she said.

"What kind of cakes do you have today?" Erza asked.

"Today's special is the strawberry chiffon cake," Lisanna said and motioned to a rounded glass case containing the said item.

"Looks delicious," Levy said.

"I'll take that," Erza said.

"Would you like to eat it here?" Lisanna asked.

"Yes."

"And what would everyone else like to have?"

While Natsu was browsing through the sweets, Levy and I ordered strawberry and green tea mochi. As we were waiting for the sweets to be prepared, I felt my phone buzz. Reaching into my bag, I pulled it out and saw that it Loke who was calling me. Excusing myself, I went outside to pick up his call.

"Hello?" I said.

"Hey Lucy, what're you up to?" Loke's ever cheerful voice said.

"I'm eating sweets with Levy and Erza."

"Sounds like you're having fun."

"Yeah, is there anything else that you wanted?"

"Oh right, I wanted to ask if you would like to go see a movie with me this weekend."

"Which movie is it?"

"Any movie you want."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah."

"Alright."

After saying our goodbyes, I hung up and went back inside. Levy, Erza, and Natsu were already sitting at a table, drinking coffee and talking to each other. I went and grabbed a cup of coffee for myself before joining them.

"Who was that?" Levy asked.

"Loke," I answered.

"Did you agree to give your number to him?" Erza asked.

"Yeah, he kind of guilted me into it," I sighed.

"So what did he want?" Levy asked.

"He asked if I wanted to go see a movie with him this weekend," I said.

"And you said yes?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"You know he's trying to make a move on you again right?"

"I already told him that I wasn't interested."

"That doesn't mean he'll stop trying." Levy pointed out.

"It's just going out to see a movie, friends do it all the time." I reasoned.

"Except that friends don't try to hit on each other." Levy said.

"I'll be fine." I assured her.

"Who's Loke?" Natsu asked.

"He's in our gym class, you didn't see him because he was flirting with the girls instead of playing," Levy said.

"He did what?" Erza said.

"Oops."

Any further conversation was cut short when Lisanna came by to deliver our sweets. We all thanked her before beginning to eat. It seemed that Natsu had went with an array of European cookies. Natsu's eating habits had improved incredibly after Erza's constant scolding of his table manners.

 **xxx**

"See you tomorrow Lisanna," Levy said.

"I look forward to it," she waved.

After bidding Lisanna farewell and leaving the shop, we headed for home. This time, Levy and Erza were walking in the front while Natsu and I were behind them.

"Hey Natsu?" I said.

"Hm?"

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"For helping me out with Dan this morning."

"No problem."

"And sorry for punching you in the face," I mumbled.

"It's fine, it didn't really hurt that much anyway," he said.

"Are you saying that I'm weak?" I asked, offended.

"No, it's just that I'm used to pain," Natsu said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"I just get into fights a lot, don't worry about it," Natsu said.

"How am I not supposed to worry about that?!" I exclaimed.

"It's okay, I usually win," Natsu assured me.

"But it's still bad to get into fights."

I stared at him in dissatisfaction and pouted a little. He stared back at me with a frown before giving a long sigh. He smiled and brought a hand up to ruffle my hair.

"I get it, I'll get into less fights," he said.

"Don't you mean none?" I said.

"No promises," he grinned.

I sighed but had to return his radiant smile with one of my own. It was hard not to have a good time when Natsu was around, he was like a ball of energy that never burns out. The sky was turning pink as the sun began to set, illuminating everything in a soft golden light.

"You really do remind me of an old friend," Natsu remarked.

"What?" I said.

"She was really pretty when she was under the evening sky too," he grinned.

"I-Is that so?" I said as I blushed.

I stared at the ground as we walked, willing my heart to calm down. I tried to convince myself that it wasn't anything special and that I was just a reminder of someone special to Natsu. Thinking that made me feel uneasy and a little hurt. I was thrown out of my thoughts when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Hey, you alright?" Natsu asked with concern.

"I'm fine," I said.

"Are you sure? You look a little pale," he said and placed a hand on my forehead.

"No, I'm fine really, just a little tired."

"Hm, if you say so," Natsu said and hesitantly pulled back.

"Natsu, you don't have to worry about me," I assured him.

"Are you sure?" he said.

"Yeah," I smiled.

Natsu relaxed a little at my words. He soon returned to his cheerful self and began talking. As we did, I realized that Natsu had been with us for a while even though we had walked past so many neighborhoods.

"By the way Natsu, where do you live?" I asked.

"In the neighborhood next to the school," he said.

"What a coincidence," Levy turned around and said.

"Do you guys live there too?" Natsu asked.

"Yeah, all of us do," I said.

"You should come over and hang out sometime," Levy suggested.

"Sure, if you're okay with me stopping by," he said.

"Awesome!" Levy grinned.

"Levy, he might not want to come over," I said.

"It's no trouble. Do you not want me to come?" Natsu asked.

"It's not that, Levy usually has a way of making people do what she wants even if it's against their will," I explained.

"Hey, that was mean!" Levy pouted.

"But if you're okay with it, then I guess it's fine," I said.

Natsu laughed as Levy continued to pout. We reached home just as the sun left the horizon and disappeared into the night. Erza went on ahead to the farther part of the neighborhood while Natsu showed us where he lived. It turned out that he was just a couple of houses down, right next to where Gray and Lyon lived.

"See you later Natsu," Levy said.

"Later."

"I'll see you tomorrow," I waved.

"Yeah," he smiled.

We parted ways with Natsu and returned to our own home. As we came in, I took off my shoes and fell onto the couch. Levy turned on the lights and headed into the kitchen to make a drink. I laid comfortably on the cushioned seats, hugging a pillow to my chest as I stared up at the ceiling. Today was such a tiring day, especially when it was only halfway through the week. Levy came out a moment later with two mugs of hot chocolate. She gave one to me as she sat on the opposite couch.

"Hey, who do you suppose Natsu is looking for?" I asked.

"Who knows, he didn't give us much details," Levy said.

"It's because you were badgering him with so many different questions," I said.

"We can just ask him tomorrow, I'm way too tired to do anything now," Levy sighed.

"Wait, didn't Ms. Evergreen say that we were going to have a test tomorrow?"


	4. Chapter Four

**Rings of Promise**

 **Chapter Four**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail**

 _"Hurry up Luce!"_

 _"It's not fair, you're running too fast!"_

 _"If you're too slow, you're going to miss it."_

 _"What did we have to come all the way up here for?"_

 _"Look, isn't that sunset pretty?"_

 _"It's pink like your hair!"_

 _"Stop laughing, it's not that funny!"_

 _"But it's so cute."_

 _"It's not supposed to be cute."_

 _"But it is."_

 _"W-whatever."_

"...Lu-chan..."

"Lu-chan!"

"Lu-chan, are you awake?"

"Huh?"

"Did you not get enough sleep last night?"

I slowly opened my eyes to see Levy hovering over me. Flinching a little at the glaring sun, I placed a hand over my eyes to block out the light. I felt a tickling sensation at my neck and remembered that I was lying on the grassy field by the cherry blossom trees. Groaning, I pushed myself up and leaned against a tree before yawning.

"Sorry, guess I fell asleep," I said.

"You've been out of it since this morning, did something happen?" Levy asked.

"No, just a little tired."

"You shouldn't stay up so late if you're going to be like this."

"I know, but you know I suck at Japanese."

"Speaking of which, Ms. Evergreen really laid it on us this time," Levy sighed.

"I'm pretty sure she had a bone to pick with us."

"Maybe something went wrong with her love life."

Levy and I spent the rest of lunch break talking about what was happening with school. When it was time to head in, we said our goodbyes to each other before going to our separate classes. This happened to be the only class period that I didn't share with Levy. She wasn't interested in astrology as much as she was in an advanced course in literature. When I entered the classroom, I was instantly glomped in a hug by Aries.

"Hi Lucy," she smiled.

"Hey Aries," I said.

"Am I hurting you, I'm sorry!" she exclaimed and took a step back.

"It's fine, you don't have to apologize," I said.

"It's good to see you Lucy-sama," Virgo greeted.

"You don't have to address me like that Virgo, you're older than me," I sighed.

"Will you punish me?" she asked.

"Of course not," I replied.

I was taken by surprise when a pair of arms wrapped itself around my waist from behind. Loke placed his head and my shoulder and nuzzled my cheeks with his wildly untamed hair.

"What are you doing Loke?" I asked.

"I'm just happy to see you," he said.

"Can't you just greet me like how everyone else does?"

"But you're so soft and warm~"

"Erza would kill you if she saw you like this."

"But you won't tell her right?"

"Who knows."

"You're so stingy~"

Loke sighed and removed his arms. I turned to pinch his cheek and smiled before going to my seat. This time, I was seated in the front between Scorpio and Aquarius. After taking a seat, I pulled out my books and set it on the table.

"What's up Lucy?" Scorpio asked.

"Hey, nothing much," I smiled.

Turning over to Aquarius, I was instantly stricken by nervousness and fear at her gaze. Taking a deep breath, I managed to greet her.

"H-hi Aquarius," I stuttered.

"Tch."

"Don't worry about her, she's just a tsundere," Scorpio leaned over and whispered to me.

I giggled a bit and was given another look by Aquarius which promptly made me stop. Scorpio nervously pulled back and returned to his seat. It still makes me wonder how Scorpio could date someone so intimidating, he must have really loved her.

A moment later, the door opened to reveal Mr. Crux, our astrology teacher. He closed the door behind him and slowly made his way to the front where he began taking attendance. Even though Mr. Crux was quite old, he was still an excellent and knowledgeable teacher. As he launched into a lesson about the constellations, I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around to see Gem. He gave me a note and pointed to the back where Loke was sitting. I thanked him before taking the note and turning around.

Opening the folded piece of paper, I saw that Loke had written a message asking if we could talk after class. I ripped out a page from my notebook and scribbled a quick reply before giving it to Gem. A few minutes, later, he tapped my shoulders and handed me another note. On it was a heart and a badly drawn picture of Loke giving me the thumbs up. I giggled quietly before tucking it away.

"Ms. Lucy, are you paying attention?" Mr. Crux asked.

"Y-yes," I answered.

"Then would you mind telling me what is the 13th constellation in the zodiac?"

"Uhh..."

xxx

"The answer was Ophiuchus," Loke said.

"There's no point in telling me that now," I grumbled.

Loke laughed a little as we walked to gym class. A few girls waved to him as we passed and some even shot me glares.

"So what did you want to talk about?" I asked.

"I wanted to ask if you wanted to go anywhere else after the movie," he said.

"Oh, I'm not sure."

"I know this really great restaurant that we could eat at," he suggested.

"Sure, if you want to go."

We parted ways at the gym's entrance to head to our separate changing rooms. Levy was already changed when I got to my locker. We chatted for a few minutes while she waited for me to change.

"So I saw Erza with Jellal again last period," she said.

"What were they doing?" I asked.

"Nothing, again," she sighed.

"I doubt anything is going to happen soon, this _is_ Erza and Jellal we're talking about," I pointed out.

"But it's so frustrating to see them like that," Levy complained.

"Just give them time, those things take a while," I said.

"They've been together since they were little and still nothing has happened. What makes you think Jellal is going to make a move on her now?" Levy asked.

"You've got a point."

As far as we knew, Erza and Jellal were in love. Except, they didn't know it themselves. While I didn't worry too much about it, Levy was always complaining on why they won't just go out already. Of course, she had once brought this up with Erza and was met with refusal of holding any kind of feelings beyond friendship for Jellal. As for him, we've never really talked since he was rarely seen around and if he ever was, he was always with Erza.

"We'd better hurry up or the teacher will yell at us," Levy said.

"Yeah, just let me tie my hair up," I said.

Gym was exceptionally unpleasant as always. Nothing much has changed since yesterday except that Loke was now made to participate. To everyone's surprise, he was actually quite good. The girls began cheering when he picked up the pace and flew past the other guys. However, that didn't last very long when Natsu and Gray intervened.

"It's getting pretty ugly out there," Levy remarked as the guys wrestled for the ball.

"Are they really even playing anymore?" I sighed.

When the whistle was blown, signaling that class was ending, we joined up with Natsu and Gray as they began walking back to the indoor gym. Levy instantly struck up a conversation with Gray about club activities while I was left with Natsu. He was breathing heavily as we walked, his shirt drenched with sweat.

"Natsu, are you okay?" I asked.

"Never been better," he grinned.

"You seem like you had a lot of fun out there," I said.

"Yeah, Gray kept getting in my way though," he grumbled.

"Of course that was going to happen, he was supposed to stop you."

While we were talking, I felt a soft poke at my shoulder blade and turned around to see Loke. His hair was disheveled and his cheeks were slightly tainted in pink. He smiled once I greeted him and fell into a step beside me.

"Loke this is Natsu and Natsu, this is Loke," I motioned to both of them.

"Nice to meet ya," Natsu grinned.

"The pleasure is all mine," Loke said.

"So what's up Loke?" I asked.

"Nothing really, I just wanted to talk with you," he said.

"This is a first, don't you usually flirt with the girls in the back?"

"I wanted to flirt with you today," he smiled.

"Nice try."

Loke sighed in defeat as I smiled a little at his adorable expression. Feeling a little bad for rejecting him, I decided to offer him my water.

"You're so sweet Lucy~"

"Whatever."

 **xxx**

It was the end of the day and we were leaving school. Since Natsu didn't have any plans or was involved in anything yet, Levy had invited him to accompany us. However, before we were able to leave the school building, someone had asked Levy to stay back for an emergency club meeting and I was left to go home alone with Natsu.

"Good luck Lu-chan," she whispered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked but she was already gone.

"Something wrong?" Natsu asked.

"It's nothing, let's go," I said.

During our short walk home, I talked to Natsu about clubs, sports, and the like. It turns out that he was interested in basketball and wanted to join soon. As for clubs, he wasn't very interested in anything except for the cooking club. That was until he found out that he had to make his own food.

"Are you part of anything?" he asked.

"Not really, I help out with the student council from time to time though," I said.

"You should join something, it could be fun," he suggested.

"I don't know, nothing really captivates my interest."

"Then what do you like to do?"

"Mostly reading and writing."

"Isn't there a book club?"

"I prefer to read on my own."

"But isn't it boring to stay at home all the time?"

"Sometimes."

"Hm...then let's start a new club."


	5. Chapter Five

**Rings of Promise**

 **Chapter Five**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail**

"He wants to start a club?"

"Yeah."

Levy and I were eating dinner as we talked. She had come home a while ago, complaining about being hungry before asking what had happened between Natsu and me. She shot me a look of disappointment when I said he only walked me home. However, that only lasted until I told her about Natsu's earlier suggestion. She seemed excited at the idea of forming a new club, even more so about Natsu wanting to form one because of me.

"See, he cares about you," she said.

"So do you and all of our friends," I said.

"You're such a buzzkill," she sighed.

"That's what I'm here for."

After we cleaned up and had our desert of chocolate ice cream, Levy decided to watch a movie. While she went through our stack of DVDs, I went upstairs for a quick shower. During the time that it took to wash my hair, I though about all the dreams that I kept forgetting. Every time I woke up from it, there was always this painful feeling in my chest, as if something important was slowly disappearing in front of me. No matter how hard I tried to remember, all I ever saw was a dark silhouette. I haven't told Levy about it since the matter wasn't important. It just somehow bothered me every time I thought about it.

I finished my shower and stepped out to dry myself. After blow drying my hair, I got dressed, tucking the necklace under my shirt before heading downstairs. Levy was already seated on the couch with a bowl of popcorn on her lap as she fast forwarded through the movie's opening advertisements. I entered the kitchen to grab a bottle of iced tea before joining her. After putting up my feet on the table and getting comfortable under a blanket, I asked for the popcorn and we began watching the movie. It was another romance movie, it was called The Notebook I think. It was very slow at the start and lacked any action. Halfway through it, I began to slowly doze off.

I was jolted awake by a soft crying. Opening my eyes, I saw that Levy was wiping her eyes with a tissue while she sobbed at the TV. I followed her gaze to see an old couple holding hands. I yawned and stretched out my arms, retracting my feet from the table in the process. My back was sore from the awkward sleeping position and it started to ache with every move I made.

"I'm going to the bathroom," I said.

Levy didn't respond but only gave a small nod. I stood up and went to the bathroom to wash my face. When I came back, Levy was wiping the last of her tears as the credits rolled. I went into the kitchen to grab a snack before returning to my seat.

"Was the movie good?" I asked.

"It wrecked my heart, that's for sure," she answered.

"We can watch an action movie next," I suggested.

"Yeah, let me go get some water first," she said and stood up.

As Levy was rummaging around in the kitchen, I picked out another movie for us to watch. As I waited for it to load, I felt my phone buzzing. Reaching into my pockets, I pulled it out to see that it was a call from Erza.

"Good evening Lucy, am I bothering you?"

"Not at all, is there something that you need?"

"Do you by any chance have Natsu's phone number?"

"Sorry, I haven't asked him."

"That's fine, I'll ask someone else."

"Why do you need his number?"

"He didn't give the school a contact number when he registered."

"Oh okay, sorry I couldn't be of any help."

"It's not a problem, a lot of people doesn't seem to have his number."

"Is that so?"

"Also, have you considered my offer of joining the student council?"

"I don't know Erza, the position just doesn't seem right for me."

"How about giving it a try? You could always resign if you don't like it."

"Let me think about it tonight and I'll get back to you tomorrow."

"I look forward to hearing your reply."

We exchanged goodbyes before Erza hung up. Levy had came back with a glass of water and some more popcorn. She snuggled under the blanket again and had her feet propped up like before.

"Who was that?" she asked.

"Erza," I replied.

"What did she want?"

"Natsu's phone number."

"And...?"

"I didn't have it."

"You didn't ask him for it yet?"

"Of course not."

"You need to step up your game Lu-chan."

"You're one to talk."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"How are things going with Gajeel?"

Levy flushed red and pulled her gaze away to look at her hands. I quirked an eyebrow and gave her a smirk before pressing play on the movie. Levy stared at me with stained cheeks before giving a huff. I tried my best to hide a laugh as to not further irritate my best friend.

 **xxx**

 _"Natsu, what are you doing?"_

 _"Playing basketball."_

 _"What's that?"_

 _"It's a game where you throw a ball into a basket."_

 _"That doesn't sound very interesting."_

 _"Why don't you try it?"_

 _"No, you'll laugh at me."_

 _"I won't."_

 _"Promise?"_

 _"Mm-hm."_

 _"..."_

 _"You laughed!"_

 _"Sorry, you just looked too funny."_

 _"How am I suppose to throw the ball into a basket that high?!"_

 _"Here, I'll teach you."_

 **xxx**

I spotted Natsu as soon as we left the house. He was a few feet away and was walking alone. I urged Levy to hurry up with locking the door and ran down the steps to meet him.

"Morning Natsu," I greeted.

"Morning," he yawned.

"Didn't get enough sleep last night?" Levy asked.

"Yeah." he answered.

"By the way, are you free after school today?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Want to come over and hang out?"

"Sure, why not."

"Is that okay with you Lu-chan?" Levy turned to me.

"Yeah."

We arrived at school just as the first bell rang. Natsu left to visit his locker while Levy and I headed to class. Since we came earlier than usual, the classroom was mostly empty. When we were settled in our seats, I pulled out my phone to text Erza. After thinking about it last night, I decided that it wouldn't be too bad to be officially a part of the student council since I was already helping out anyway. Erza was ecstatic at my reply and wanted to meet during lunch to show me the ropes.

"You're finally joining the student council?" Levy asked as she peered at my phone.

"Yup," I said.

"So you're going to start staying after school instead of always going home?"

"I don't know, Erza said that the job didn't require much time."

"You should really stay after school sometime."

"Why?"

"You might get to see the ghost."

"Uh, what?"

"Legend has it that when it's dark out, our school's founder can be seen wandering the halls and entering classrooms."

"Wasn't there more than one founder?"

"Who knows, but people have said that they've seen a woman with long, golden locks of hair standing by a window, looking at them. Scary, isn't it?"

"So what happened after they saw the "ghost"?"

"They won't say."

"Seems pretty sketchy to me."

"That's because you haven't seen the ghost for yourself."

"And you have?"

"Not yet."

"Hey, what are you guys talking about?" Natsu asked as he took a seat.

"There's a ghost haunting the school at night," Levy said.

"Do you really think that's true?" I sighed.

"It's interesting, let's check it out!" he exclaimed.

"Not you too," I groaned.

"We can't today, you're coming over after school, remember?" Levy said.

"Oh right, let's go on Monday then," Natsu said.

"You're not even in a club yet Natsu, there's no reason for you to stay after school," I pointed out.

"Like I said yesterday, we could start a new club," he said.

"What is it going to be about?" Levy asked.

"I want it to be a place where we could go on a lot of adventures," he said.

"So like a sightseeing club?"

"Hm, something like that."

We were interrupted when the teacher came in. Ms. Evergreen seemed to be in a pretty good mood this morning as she took attendance and talked about yesterday's test. Students began groaning when she started to pass them back. Even though I thought I did well on the test, it was still nerve wracking when she walked by and placed the paper upside down on my desk. Levy had already flipped over hers and was quietly cheering, she had a perfect score and was pretty happy about it. I slowly turned my own test over and sighed in relief when I was met with a score of 90 out of 100.

"Looks like you dodged a bullet," Levy commented.

"Yup," I said.

I turned to look at Natsu as I heard him heave a long sigh. Taking a peek at his score, I was surprised to see that he only got 30 out of 100. Levy and I shared a concerned look before we spoke to him.

"I take it that Japanese is not your strongest subject?" Levy asked.

"Is it that obvious?" Natsu cracked a smile.

"We could help you study if you want, you're coming over today anyway," I suggested.

"Would that be alright?" he asked.

"Of course," Levy said.

"Awesome, and thanks."


End file.
